Victor Smith cannot be serious: NDC cannot be a viable alternative!

Some of us could not hide our utter disbelief upon reading that erstwhile Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, under Mahama administration, Victor Emmanuel Smith, has blissfully scolded the NPP government led by President Akufo-Addo, for allegedly promising to deliver Heaven to Ghanaians during the 2016 electioneering campaign, but rather delivering Hell (see: ‘Akufo-Addo promised Heaven but delivering Hell’- Victor Smith; mynewsgh.com/ghanaweb.com, 16/06/2019).

Victor Smith is reported to have claimed somewhat ponderously that the ruling NPP government deceived the unsuspecting electorates just to clasp power and amass wealth at the expense of the poor and the disadvantaged.

The seemingly unhappy former Commissioner lamented plangently: “The government is performing abysmally, because they promised too much, you promised Heaven and you can’t deliver, do you get the point?”

The aggrieved Ex-Commissioner continued: “One of the things good leadership should do is not to promise people Heaven when you know you don’t have what it takes to deliver Heaven to them. You going to try but let them appreciate that Rome was not built in a day. But you didn’t tell them”.

With all due respect and no attached condescension whatsoever, the likes of Victor Smith must stop living in a denial, engage in serious introspection, and accept the fact that, the erstwhile NDC administration terrible errors in decision-making which sent Ghana’s economy deeply into the mire to some large extent, caused their humiliating 2016 election defeat and not any juicy promises by their political opponents.

I have always maintained that whenever the so-called experienced politicians keep holding on to vague rhetoric and political insobrieties with a view to misinforming the unsuspecting public, it gives some of us the energy and reason to deflate the apparent misconception.

It is, indeed, quite ironic that despite all the harsh economic conditions amidst corruption allegations (Bus branding, Brazil World Cup, SADA, SUBA, GYEEDA, SSNIT, NCA, Ford Expedition Vehicle, amongst others), the likes of Victor Smith can still go ahead and aim accusing fingers at the NPP government of promising the electorates heaven, which led to their humiliating 2016 election defeat.

Let us be honest, it is extremely unreasonable for anyone to expect a government that has been in power for less than three years to honour all its Manifesto promises within such a short space of time.

Wasn’t Ex-President Mahama who strangely claimed that they, (NDC government), had edaciously consumed all the meat on the bone?

Former President Mahama, so to speak, was speaking in parables in relation to Ghana’s unprecedented economic collapse as a result of mismanagement and rampant corruption under his watch.

It is, therefore, extremely bizarre to keep hearing and reading from the same people who wilfully collapsed the once thriving economy shouting from the roof top about the supposedly slow pace of development, barely two and half years of NPP government assuming power.

How could individuals who revoltingly throw Ghana’s economy deeper and deeper into the mire in eight years turn around and accuse the NPP government of not turning things around quickly in barely two and half years in office?

In fact, it was the same NDC government that licentiously spent excessively and above its means, and, in the process needlessly increased our total debt from GH9.5 billion in 2009 to GH122.4 billion as of December 2016.

This means that there was virtually no money left in the national purse for the incoming NPP government to turn things around quickly.

It is, therefore, quite unreasonable for the likes of Victor Smith to expect the NPP government to keep all its Manifesto promises within a short space of time.

That said, despite all the economic mess left by the erstwhile Mahama’s ambivalent administration, the current NPP government under the able leadership of President Akufo-Addo has commendably undertaken a number of social interventions.

Since assuming power, Akufo-Addo’s government has taken estimable strides to improve the social mobility gap through implementation of poverty reduction policies such as Free SHS, one district one factory, one million dollars per constituency, tax reductions, a dam per village in the northern part of Ghana, Planting for Food and Jobs, Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD), among others.

It is also worth stressing that in spite of the huge economic mess created by the outgone NDC government amid stunted economic growth, the Akufo-Addo’s government has efficiently raised the economic growth from a nauseating 3.4 per cent as of December 2016 to around 8.6 per cent within a short space of time.

Upon taking office, the NPP government has dramatically reversed the inflation rate to a little over 9 per cent from a little over 15 per cent as of December 2016.

Clearly, President Akufo-Addo and his government are graciously delivering on their Manifesto promises to the delight of the vast majority of Ghanaians.

Frankly stating, if President Akufo-Addo and his government managed to fulfil all those promises, trust me, it would be an illustrative case of “heaven on earth”

Regrettably, we can pinpoint uncountable NDC’s broken Manifesto promises in the past, but the one that has stencilled on discerning Ghanaians mental sheets to date, is the one-time NHIS premium. That promise, so to speak, was destitute of honesty and integrity. So, who says that the NDC is an honest party?

It would be recalled that prior to the 2008 and 2012 general elections, Ex-President Mahama and his NDC made a number of Manifesto promises to Ghanaians. But as to whether they honoured those promises, is a million dollar question.

It goes without saying that the NDC solicited votes from Ghanaians, and, in exchange, they guaranteed everyone protection of life, property, provision of social amenities, better socio-economic standards of living and to a certain extent liberty.

Dearest reader, if you may recall, during the 2008 and 2012 general elections, the NDC Party gave a cornucopia of Manifesto promises, including one-time NHIS premium, free SHS, ‘making dumsor a thing of the past, putting money in Ghanaians pocket, creating more jobs for the jobless, stabilising the economy, protecting Ghanaians from the menaces of galamsey and Fulani herdsmen, bringing an end to dubious judgement debt payments, fighting the rampant sleazes and corruption amongst others.

Regrettably, though, after giving all those richly interesting, albeit unrealistic promises with a view to deceiving Ghanaians for their mandate, the NDC government, as expected, woefully failed to honour the promises, and, consequently, a total of 55.6 per cent (44.4 for Mahama) of the electorates rightly voted them out of power in 2016.

In retrospect, the NDC government failed terribly to initiate expedient policies to overturn the failed policies of agriculture, poverty reduction and resource allocation in the areas of healthcare, education, finance, supply chain management and security sector planning, amongst others.

Based on the preceding facts and figures, it would be somewhat disingenuous for anybody to claim that NDC is an honest party that delivers on its Manifesto promises at all times.

Despite the apparent economic downslide back then, the NDC apologists kept trumpeting their vague rhetoric , political insobrieties and meaningless slogans-‘Mahama Tuaso’; ‘We care for you’; ‘people matter, you matter’; ‘we are transforming lives’.

Discerning Ghanaians, therefore, decided to put their trust in NPP to set them free from the NDC government’s ostensive economic enslavement.

And, rightly so, the good people of Ghana embraced NPP’s advantageous policies such as one district one factory, one constituency one million dollars, one village one dam, free SHS, tax deductions,amongst others.

Incredibly, back then, whenever the suffering Ghanaians complained about the economic hardships, the vociferous NDC communicators would ungraciously chastise the same people who gave them the electoral mandate.

The NDC’s ‘Babies with sharp teeth’ would insult every Ghanaian that would dare complain about their laissez faire style of leadership.

The discourteous NDC brats did not even spare their party founder, Rawlings, for voicing his opinion over the rampant corruption in the NDC administration. Yes, the NDC boisterous apologists kept castigating their founder, Rawlings, for expressing his arousing disgust over the rot in his party.

Besides, the NDC’s ‘Babies with sharp teeth’ disgustingly abused the then flagbearer of the NPP and the current President Nana Akufo-Addo day in and day out.

The brats spewed all sort of lies about the eminent lawyer. The good people of Ghana became fed-up with the needless abuse the NDC apologists were directing towards the unwearied Nana Akufo-Addo.

As a matter of fact, the good people of Ghana stencilled everything on their mental sheets and waited for an opportune time to teach the clamorous NDC ‘Babies with sharp teeth’ a great lesson.

And, who said that 7th December 2016 was not the right time for the good people of Ghana to vent their spleen on the disrespectful and power intoxicated brats?

k.badu2011@gmail.com